Re: [UG-ADMINS] User Group Open Spaces notes from php[tek] 2016

I’ve posted the Chris’ notes to the same blog post: http://memphisphp.org/blog/2016/05/25/phptek-open-spaces-user-groups

When they get posted to the wiki I’ll update with a link there.

Thanks all

-- 
- Joe Ferguson
JoeFerguson.me
MemphisPHP.org

> On May 26, 2016, at 12:31, Chris Spruck <[email protected]> wrote:
> 
> Hi all,
> 
> Here are the notes I captured from our Open Spaces session on group
> leadership. Apologies if I didn't attribute you or misstated something.
> Hope this helps others!
> 
> Chris
> ======
> User Group Leadership Open Spaces
> 
> Attendees: Chris Spruck (AtlantaPHP), Joe Ferguson (MemphisPHP), Sammy K.
> Powers (Chicago PHP UG), Mark McCollum (St. Louis Full Stack Developers),
> Dave Stokes (North TX MySQL User Group), Cal Evans (Palm Beach PHP UG,
> NomadPHP), Brian Retterer (DaytonPHP), James Titcumb (PHP Hampshire, PHP
> SouthCoast conf), Ben Ramsey (NashvillePHP), Bill Condo (Columbus, OH PHP
> User Group), Matt Turland (Gnocode New Orleans), Jeff Geerling (Ansible and
> Drupal St. Louis), Michael Pickreign (NE PA, looking to start a group),
> Travis Fettig (Palm Beach PHP UG)
> 
> How do you handle lack of attendance? Joe said that MemphisPHP tries to
> provide quality content, and not just a hack night. He encourages members
> to present, and does more social events (which usually yields better
> response due to the shorter time committment than a full meeting). Dave
> made the point to be aware of time issues and entrance security processes,
> depending on the location. James made the point that lack of attendance
> isn't necessarily bad, and any consistency is good, even if you feel like
> the numbers are low. Chris said that fast/immediate growth isn't urgent.
> 
> Activities among groups? Cal and others mentioned joint Christmas parties,
> summer BBQs, etc. with multiple groups, and Bill mentioned things like
> Laravel/Wordpress/PHP joint activities. Don't forget about groups that use
> PHP, but are more focused (Drupal, WP, etc.) - opportunity for speaker
> cross-over and softer skills talks that can apply to any developer. Joe
> mentioned "Super User Group meetups" - lightning talks across groups,
> holiday parties, etc. These can be specific to group leaders or involve
> entire groups.
> 
> Beth Tucker Long (of MadisonPHP, @e3BethT) has "training talks" or some
> kind of material developed to encourage cultivation of conference speakers
> from within her user group.
> 
> Someone mentioned using a Trello board for group members to suggest talk
> ideas, talks they can present, etc.
> 
> Consider PHP-adjacent talks and other tech (JavaScript, databases, etc.);
> consider remote presenters or other groups.
> 
> Look for chances to bring in someone nearby or passing through. Examples:
> Coderabbi was at Laracon (in Kentucky), so Bill from Columbus asked him to
> stay an extra day to present to Columbus PHP (Bill went to pick him up,
> etc.) AtlantaPHP just had an extra "special speaker event", because
> Sebastian Bergmann was in town the week after their regularly scheduled
> meeting.
> 
> SammyK - summarizes RFC activity for his group, so members can get a taste
> of PHP internals w/o the stress.
> 
> Alternative formats to consider: Show and Tell nights; test fests; bug fix
> night; pair programming; screencast live coding; "bring your problem", code
> reviews
> 
> Cal asked "how do you level your content?" for junior vs advanced devs.
> Dave said one of the Dallas groups has a different meeting for junior devs,
> and Boston started a virtual online class for juniors, where people could
> contact more experienced group members for help.
> 
> It's a good idea for organizers to try to spot new people, to at least say
> hello and make them feel welcome. Name badges are very helpful to break the
> ice, remember names, etc.
> 
> Do groups have free beer? A few people raised hands and said it's typically
> sponsored by recruiters or third-parties. Some go out after the meeting to
> another location.
> 
> Try to have the next meeting topic ready to promote in advance, so people
> know what's coming up and can plan accordingly. It definitely helps reduce
> organizer stress to have a few speakers lined up ahead of time, and have
> backup plans for cancellations.
> 
> How to start a new group? Definitely get on Meetup, as the discoverability
> factor is worth it. Ask attendees to bring new people. Public libraries are
> good for meeting space, as well as banks and other places with a "community
> space". Find local companies with devs, as they can help with space, new
> presenters and attendees, etc. Look at local universities.
> 
> Dues or fees? Depends on need and scope - some charge per event or special
> event, some have annual dues, most have none. May need to charge for a
> given event to cover expenses to bring in someone from far away.
> 
> How to handle recruiter spam? Stop it at the source - moderate your mailing
> lists. Be firm, but polite in person and set the expectations for their
> behavior at meetings. Some openly allow recruiters to attend and speak or
> mingle, and others limit it to before or after meetings or at
> after-gatherings. Have solid guidelines for posting to your lists (see
> AtlantaPHP's guidelines at http://atlantaphp.org/jobs/ - feel free to use
> and adapt!)